Knicks overcome 29-point hole, stun Spurs 107-106 on Anunoby's last-second tip-in to grab 3-1 Finals lead
OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left capped the largest comeback in NBA Finals history as the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 on Wednesday night to take a 3-1 series lead.
A first half for the ages
The Spurs stormed out of the gate, building a 22-41 lead after one quarter behind red-hot three-point shooting. By halftime the advantage had ballooned to 27 points (49-76), the largest halftime lead by a visiting team in Finals history. San Antonio hit a Finals-record 14 three-pointers in the first two quarters, and Victor Wembanyama controlled the paint with 16 first-half points.
The record collapse
San Antonio's lead peaked at 29 points (52-81) with 9:27 left in the third period. From then on, the young Spurs went ice cold. Over the final 21 minutes, the Knicks outscored them 55-25. San Antonio managed only 30 second-half points while missing 14 of 17 three-point attempts. A 13-0 New York run cut the deficit to 65-81, and the Knicks kept chipping away until they trailed by just six entering the fourth.
- Spurs lead 22-41 after first quarter
- Spurs lead 49-76 at halftime, a Finals record for a visiting team
- Spurs extend lead to 29 points (52-81) early in third quarter
- Knicks go on 13-0 run, cut deficit to 65-81
- Knicks trail 75-90 entering fourth quarter
- Brunson gives Knicks first lead at 105-104 with 1:22 left
- Anunoby's tip-in wins game 107-106 with 1.2 seconds remaining
Anunoby's moment
Jalen Brunson gave the Knicks their first lead at 105-104 with 1:22 left before two Stephon Castle free throws put San Antonio back up by one. With 30 seconds remaining, Brunson’s three-point attempt missed, but Anunoby crashed the glass, went over Wembanyama and rookie Dylan Harper, and guided the ball softly into the basket for the winner.
He got a pretty good look and I just went and crashed. Tried to get a tip-dunk or something. The ball went over my head, so I couldn't really dunk it. So I tried to tip it in softly and it went in.
Knicks coach Mike Brown called it "the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball." Brunson finished with 36 points and Anunoby added 33, including seven three-pointers. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
- First half
- 76 points
- Second half
- 30 points
Shock in the Spurs' locker room
San Antonio players struggled to process the loss. Wembanyama scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds but made only eight of his 24 field goals after halftime and missed two free throws in the final two minutes.
What's going through my mind right now? I think it's going to go one of two ways. A bad one and a good one. The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. I know this is what we're going to do.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson called the loss "disappointing, to say the least," and sixth man Keldon Johnson said, "We gave this one up. It hurts."
One win from history
The Knicks now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and will have three chances to win their first championship since 1973. Game 5 is Saturday night in San Antonio. Only one team in NBA history—the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers—has overcome a 3-1 Finals deficit. The previous largest comeback in a Finals game was Boston’s 24-point rally against the Lakers in 2008.
